Fellowship: Sometimes It Must Be Withdrawn

One of the great failures of the present day churches of Christ is to faithfully practice corrective discipline. I'm not sure what the reason is. With some I'm convinced it's laziness, and with others I think it's just fear—fear that someone is going to get their feelings hurt. Then others seem to think that they are wiser than God. I know this to be true because I have heard people say, including an "elder," that church discipline just doesn't work. As far as I'm concerned, that's blasphemy.
Paul said, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us” (2 Thes. 3:6). Notice that corrective discipline, we call it withdrawal of fellowship, is a command. It is equal in weight with "repent and be baptized" (Acts 2:38).
For the purpose of this study, I want to observe some of the points concerning the subject of corrective church discipline.

Only Christians are subject to corrective discipline.
In 1 Corinthians 5, there is a Christian man who has been engaged in sexual immorality with his father's wife. As a result, Paul tells the brethren at Corinth that he needs to be withdrawn from. Paul later makes this point: “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world” (1 Cor. 5:9-10). Notice that Paul said, "not altogether with the fornicators of this world." It's impossible to totally separate ourselves from the world. We must not live like the world, but we have to live in the world.
Who is subject to corrective discipline? The Bible says that the following erring Christians are to be withdrawn from: false teachers; those who refuse to work; fornicators, covetous, extortioners, idolaters, railers, and drunkards; those who refuse to rectify personal offences; and, anyone who walks disorderly (2 Thes. 3:6; Rm. 16:17; 2 Jn. 9-11; 2 Thes. 3:6-14; 1 Tm. 5:8; 1 Cor. 5:11; Mt. 18:15-17; 2 Thes. 3:6). [Parenthetical note: "Disorderly" means to walk out of step. It's a military term. So, If I walk out of step with what the Commander and Chief commands, then I'm disorderly and subject to withdrawal. It is a term that is comprehensive in nature. So, if I do anything contrary to God's will, and do not repent then I'm subject to corrective discipline.]

A disorderly brother or sister is to be disciplined with love.
This is the motivation for fulfilling any of God's commands. In point of fact, Jesus said that "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (Jn. 14:15). John also said, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent" (Rev. 3:19).
Faithful Christians will withdraw fellowship from erring Christians in order to save their soul from death—final destruction in hell (1 Cor. 5:5). Add to that, erring Christians are to be withdrawn from so that the church of Christ as a whole can be preserved. Paul rebuked the Christians at Corinth for being tolerant of sin. He said, "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (1 Cor. 5:6). Sin spreads like cancer in the body. If we don't remove sin from the body of Christ, then it can destroy the entire local congregation.

There is a biblical process for carrying out corrective discipline.
First, the one whom we think needs to be withdrawn from must truly be guilty of sin. There should be a search and enquiry as to whether or not one is guilty (Dt. 13:12-14; 17:4-6; 1 Tm. 5:19).
Second, the guilty party must be lovingly confronted (1 Thes. 5:14; Gal. 6:1-2; Jas. 5:19-20). This is a process that should involve every member of the congregation. During this process, there should be adequate time given to allow an opportunity to repent. It should not be too short of a period, nor should it be too long. I've seen folks go for years saying, "We're still trying to give them opportunity to repent."
Third, once every effort has been exhausted, the congregation must follow the mandate given by God to withdraw from the erring brother or sister. Again, we must emphasize that this is a congregational effort.
Fourth, every member of the congregation is to withdraw—even if the one being withdrawn from is a family member. Every member of the local congregation is to withdraw fellowship from the one erring, as well as surrounding congregations. Faithful members must not share in social engagements with those who have been withdrawn from (1 Cor. 5:11; 2 Thes. 3:14).
Fifth, the withdrawn from member is to be admonished as a brother (2 Thes. 3:15). Add to that, they are not to be given special treats or gift baskets that would indicate a type of acceptance and approval. Gifts tend to violate 2 Thessalonians 3:14. We want the erring Christian to be "ashamed." They need to realize that fellowship has been lost.

When corrective discipline is practiced, positive things happen.
The one withdrawn from might be restored. Such was the case with the fornicator of 1 Corinthians 5 (cf. 2 Cor. 2:6-8). The practice of corrective discipline shows other members of the church what their lot will be if they engage in sin and refuse to repent (Acts 5:11; 1 Tm. 5:20). Practicing this command will cause those outside of the church of Christ to know that we take a strong stand on Bible matters (Acts 5:11,14).

May God help us to have the courage to simply stand on the Word of God. We absolutely must live by the precepts found in this book so that one day we will be able to die by its rewarding promises.

Fellowship: Sins that Destroy It

The apostle John, writing by Divine Guidance, said the following concerning fellowship with God: “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 Jn. 1:5-6).
Many profess to be in fellowship with God, yet because of their continual lifestyle of sin, that fellowship has been destroyed. Add to that, when fellowship with God is severed, then the fellowship that was once enjoyed with brethren is equally destroyed.

Indifference destroys fellowship with God and the brethren.
Exiled to the island of Patmos, God told John, “what thou seest, write in a book.” That book is what we call Revelation. He was then told to deliver that book to the Seven churches that were in Asia. To the church of Christ at Laodicea John wrote, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16).
Indifference is a sin that will cause many souls to be lost. It can be indifference to the faithful assembling of the saints (specific). Or, it can be indifference toward seeking the kingdom first (general).

Worldliness destroys fellowship with God and the brethren.
With gnosticism on the horizon, and an incipient form of gnosticism in full swing, John wrote, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 Jn. 2:15-16).
It seems like that most anything the world is involved in, somewhere and at sometime Christians can be found engaged in the same activities—drinking, cursing, lying, dancing, mixed swimming, immodesty in general, etc.
Here’s the problem, God tells us that the church is to be different from the world (1 Pt. 1:16; Jas. 4:4; 1 Tm. 5:22). That’s what the word church means—the called out ones.

Denominationalism destroys fellowship with God and the brethren.
One slogan of the denominational world is this, “One church is just as good as another.” But they did not learn that from Christ. Jesus prayed for unity (Jn. 17:21). He died to purchase one church (Mt. 16:18). Paul begged brethren to be united (1 Cor. 1:10). He said that biblical unity can only come through faithful obedience to the Scripture (1 Cor. 1:12-13).
There is only one true church that belongs to Christ. It is the church that wears His name and keeps His precepts—the church of Christ. If I open my arms to those in the denominational world and accept them as a part of my “Christian family,” without their obedience to the Truth, then I am destroying my own fellowship with God.

Leaving your first love destroys fellowship with God and the brethren.
The first church of Asia mentioned in Revelation is the church of Christ at Ephesus. The Lord, through John the penman, said “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (Rev. 2:4). The Ephesians were warned that unless they changed, the Lord would be withdrawing fellowship from them.
There is a lesson in this for us. If ever we leave our first love, there is hope for returning—provided we don’t wait too long. Here’s what the text tells us to do (Rev. 2:5):
1. Remember where we went wrong.
2. Repent and turn back to God.
3. Return to doing those things that are right.

Unwillingness to repent destroys fellowship with God and the brethren.
In my judgment, repentance is the most difficult of the Lord’s commands to keep. What does it mean to repent? Repentance is simply a change of mind that results in a change of action. It also requires that restitution be made as far as humanly possible.
What must we do when we are out of fellowship with God and our brethren. We must repent and pray. Luke said that unless we repent we’ll perish (Lk. 13:3). John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).

May we all realize the joy of being in fellowship with the God of heaven and earth, and may we also appreciate the spiritual beauty of being united with our brethren in Christ. Let’s do what we must to maintain that fellowship. For, if we do not the consequences are eternal.

Fellowship: Standing on Common Ground

Many years ago, the Monarch of Israel wrote down these words:

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore (Psa. 133:1-3).

In the New Testament, the word fellowship comes from the Greek word koinonia, and means "sharing" or "joint participation." King David said that it is pleasant for brethren to be united together. The reason for this is because of the common ground that we share as brethren. By way of this essay, let's look at some of those things we have in common.


The Bible is Our Standard
The difference between the Lord's church and the churches set up by men, with respect to authority in religious practice, is that the Lord's church uses the Bible as its only creed or guideline for belief and practice (2 Tm. 3:16-17; Col. 2:8; 1 Tm. 1:3; 1 Pt. 4:11).


We Have a Bible Plea
Alexander Campbell, of restoration history fame, coined the phrase,
Speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent. Do Bible things in Bible ways, and call Bible things by Bible names.
We often call this the "restoration plea." The idea is to get back to simple New Testament Christianity. Our plea is a Bible plea. We simply want to follow the Bible and we are diligently seeking others who desire to do the same.
Peter said, "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God..." (1 Pt. 4:11). So many individuals profess to follow the Bible in religious practice, yet they add to or subtract from its glorious message. We should be seeking the "Old Paths" that never grow old or out of date (Jer. 6:16). Our common plea is to simply follow the Bible.


We Want All Men to be Saved
A Christian is a soldier in the army of the Lord. As a soldier in spiritual warfare, we are in battle for the souls of men. Our weapon is the Word of God (Heb. 5:12; Eph. 6:17). When we faithfully use this weapon then the Bible says that it will convict honest hearts of sin (Tit. 1:9).

We Have a Savior Who Died for Us All
Jesus died to save us from our sins (Rm. 5:8). Sin is what separates man from God. So, we want to know how to be freed from sin. Freedom from sin is only in Jesus. How do we get into Jesus? Paul says that baptism is what puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:27).

We Share A Special Love One for Another
If we are truly brethren, then we ought to have a common love for one another. Peter tells us to "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood..." (1 Pt. 2:17). John reminds us that we cannot love God without first loving the brethren. "You can not say that you love Me if you do not love one another" (1 Jn. 4:20-21).

We All Look Forward to Heaven
Thanks be to God that this world is not our home. With all of its corruption, pain and sadness, I am grateful that I do not have to call this place home. We sometimes sing, "Here we are but straying pilgrims," and "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through." We are here for just a little while in order to glorify God and to serve our fellow man. But one of these days we will enter Glory.

I am thankful to God for the fellowship that I have with my brethren—for the things that we share in common. We share the Bible as our standard. We all desire to do what the Bible says—not adding to it, or taking away from it. It is our desire to take as many people to heaven with us as we can. We rejoice that Jesus died for all, and that through obedience we have the forgiveness of sin. We love the brethren. We wait with great anticipation, for heaven.